Slayer in Smallville
by shadowglove
Summary: xover BtVS. Prelude to From Hell. Only Buffy would run away from Sunnydale only to end up in a place just as weird. The runaway Slayer rescues Chloe from a meteor freak, never realizing that that will change her whole life. chloe/buffy friendshipfic
1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not Smallville nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**

_ Summary: _

_ This is completely AU for BOTH Smallville and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (but a sorta 'prelude' to my fanfic 'From Hell' , this shows how Buffy and Chloe met and became friends ). Set when Clark ran away to Metropolis before Lex's wedding, and Buffy ran away from Sunnydale after sending Angel to hell._

_ Lex never married Dr. Helen Bryce. On the wedding day Chloe came to him with information about Helen's alliance with his father. It ended up in a show-down between the bride and groom in which Helen was killed—by Lex—and Chloe surprisingly enough helped him get rid of her body. Lex left to Europe after using the cover-story that Helen had left him at the altar—and hasn't been back since._

_ Buffy ends up in Smallville and makes friends with Chloe. And now with Clark gone, Smallville needs a hero…why not a Slayer?_

_ p.s. Buffy, trying to go incognito, dyed her hair brown._

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Heart in her throat, Chloe ordered herself not to look back as she broke through the woods and into the never-ending cornfield that now stood before her. Cursing fates, and her insatiable desire for knowledge, the blonde pushed forwards, hearing the crunching of his footsteps behind her as he slowly began to catch up with her.

_ Dammit dammit dammit!_

Pushing through the cornfield towards the left, where she'd caught sight of the freeway leading towards Metropolis, Chloe closed her eyes to concentrate more as she continued to run. When she'd heard that about the mysterious and gruesome killings happening in McMan's woods, she'd expected something weird, but _not_ weird like what she'd found back there.

Giving a cry as she heard him gaining on her, Chloe wished she'd spent more time working out in P.E. then working to _get out_ of P.E. It'd have served her a lot better than it was now!

Relief surged through her as she began her ascent towards up the loose rocks and made her up, until she found herself in the middle of the highway, right in the path of a beat up mustang coming around the corner at a blinding speed. Closing her eyes tightly she waited for the impact of the car, but the sound of skidding and the smell of burnt rubber was all she got.

Chloe opened her eyes in surprise to see that the car had stopped inches in front of her.

The driver's door banged closed and a gorgeous brunette with her long hair up in a high ponytail came out. "Are you okay?" She asked, stalking towards her with grace that was almost inhumane. "What the hell were you thinking of, running into the highway that way?"

Hearing a growl, Chloe's eyes widened and she remembered _why_ she'd been running. "W-w-we have to get out of here, _now_."

But it was too late, the boy jumped up onto the highway, eyes glowing freakily as he stalked them.

To her surprise, the brunette didn't seem frightened at all. She stepped in front of Chloe, stance dangerous. "I'm only giving you one chance to leave before I tear you apart."

The boy stopped and looked at her before throwing his head back and laughing, leering at the petite girl. "Oh, yeah, you and what army?"

"Wrong answer." And with that she struck so quick it took both Chloe and the boy by surprise. Her fist met his jaw and he staggered back with the blow, landing on his ass on the asphalt.

He quickly stood and threw himself on her.

Chloe's eyes widened as she watched them fighting like animals, she'd never seen anything like it before. She knew that Mike had somehow gotten infected with the meteor rocks, and had somehow developed some very werewolf-like abilities, so his rapidness wasn't surprising.

It was the stranger that kept her mesmerized. She didn't seem phased that this sort of thing could happen, and she fought like a tiger, filled with grace, strength and confidence that blew Chloe away. She fought as if fighting were second-nature.

The sound of a bone cracking filled the air, and the stranger fell to her knees on the asphalt, the dead body of Mike Malcolm crumbling to the ground.

Chloe took a hesitant step towards them and hurried over when the girl collapsed over him, unconscious. She was scratched, bruised, and had lost blood. On closer inspection, Chloe noticed how pale her skin was, the dark bags under her eyes that her makeup just couldn't hide, and that her skinniness was more from starvation than anything else.

It was as if she hadn't had a good meal in months.

Chloe bent and hooked her arms around the girl, grunting as she dragged her back towards her own car and after fumbling with the back door, she propped her lying down on the back seat.

Looking back at what remained of Mike Malcolm, she gagged at his head hanging oddly on his broken neck. _Be brave Chloe, be brave!_ Taking in a deep breath, she decided that she couldn't leave him there, but he was too heavy for her to pick up or drag, so she pushed his body over the side of the highway and watched morbidly as it rolled down the loose rocks until it disappeared into the tall corn below.

_ I just became an accomplice to murder_. _Again._

Taking in a deep breath, she went to the girl's car and went into the driver's seat, glad that she'd left the keys in the ignition.

_ I gotta take you somewhere safe_.

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Buffy woke up to warmth and the smell of coffee and soup. Groaning, she looked around the room that radiated love and warmth, and couldn't help but wonder where in the world she was. She definitely wasn't in Sunnydale, nor L.A., and she couldn't remember in which state she'd stolen the parked mustang.

So where was she?

Getting up, the Slayer running from her past stood and looked around the room. There were pictures of the short-haired blonde she'd saved from _whatever_ that boy had been. In some of the pictures the blond was with a brunette boy and a dark boy, in one she was with a brunette girl that Buffy didn't like off-bat. On the wall were clippings of news articles that all had something in common. They were of the supernatural, they were written by someone with the initials C.S., and they all happened in Smallville, Kansas.

_ Figures, I run away from Sunnydale and end up in a town that's just as messed up._

"Hey, I thought I heard you get up." A voice said from the doorway.

Buffy twirled on her heels, and winced at the pain that shot up in her body at that motion. Out of pure habit she studied the girl in the doorway. Her hair was chin-length and spiky at the ends, her eyes mossy green, and a quirky smile completed a very pretty face.

"What happened to the body?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Hidden, for now. I'm going to go get rid of it better tonight when there's less chance of someone seeing me."

The fact that she'd said that without batting an eyelash both impressed and worried Buffy. She hid it well though. "Why do I feel that that isn't the first time you've hidden a body?"

"Why do I feel that that isn't the first time you've _created_ a 'body'?" The other girl countered.

Buffy tensed.

The other girl came in, tray of chicken soup in hand. "You're not normal, are you?" She asked, placing the tray on the desk. "Were you here during the meteor shower?"

Buffy snorted. "No. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Not a meteor freak then." The girl seemed surprised now. "But, if you weren't infected by the meteors, how were you able to kill Mike?"

"Is that what happened to that guy?" Buffy asked, interested despite how dangerous this conversation could be for her secret identity. "He was _Meteor Infected_?"

"Yeah." The girl threw herself on the bed, looking up at the wall where she had all of the articles plastered. "We call them _Meteor Freaks_. There was a huge meteor shower years back and ever since then the good people of Smallville have _changed_. Let's just say that not many people accept my theory, but then again, they don't want to accept anything that's out of the ordinary."

Hearing the distain she _herself_ felt whenever the people of Sunnydale were all-too-happy to blame the vampire slayings on gangs on PCP, Buffy was more and more intrigued by this nameless girl. "And _what_ is your theory?" She asked, heading to the desk and sitting down, taking a sip of the chicken soup, trying to refrain from groaning in pleasure.

How long had it been since she'd eaten something homemade?

The girl grinned beautifully at her. "_My_ theory is that exposure from the meteorites have _changed_ the people around here. You have no _idea_ how many strange things happen in this little town, things no one wants to believe."

"Oh, I'm not finding that hard to believe." Buffy muttered to herself while still filling her empty stomach with the soup. She'd taken the warm bowl into her hands and turned on the chair to get a better look of the girl she'd saved, and ultimately, who'd saved her. "So, what were you doing out there in the middle of the fields in the first place?"

"I'm an investigative journalist for my school's newspaper." She announced importantly. "I—there were some gruesome murders going on in McMan's woods, and everyone was blaming it on wolves, but we haven't had a wolf here in _decades_." Sitting up on the bed, pulling her feet under her, the girl nearly bounced in excitement. "So I decided to play Little Red Riding Hood and went out looking for the big bad wolf."

Buffy couldn't help but grin.

"Imagine my surprise when out of nowhere _Mike Malcolm,_ THE hottest guy in school ever since Clark left, appears out of the shadows and tries to make me his newest meal…destroyed the school's camera in the process." Honestly, she seemed more ticked about the camera getting destroyed. "Had some really good pictures too." Shaking her head, she got up and outstretched her hand. "Chloe Sullivan, Investigator Reporter, Editor of the Torch."

Buffy looked at her hand for a moment before placing the soup bowl on the desk and shaking the hand firmly, a smile growing on her face. "Buffy Summers—_not_ meteor infected."

"Buffy? That's _original_." Yet she didn't say it condescendingly like Cordelia would have, there was a large smile on her face. "So, if you're not a meteor freak, what exactly are you?"

The once-blonde looked at the younger looking girl and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, wondering if she should tell her or not. It wasn't as if Chloe could just go and tell everyone what she was, and even if she did, no one would believe her. Plus, they'd just committed a crime together—even if they were practically strangers—that tended to be a bonding experience. "I'm a Slayer."

"A _Slayer_?" Chloe's eyes widened, surprising Buffy that she recognized the word. "You mean the whole, 'ever since there was a beginning there was a Slayer' Slayer?" She asked. "As in vampire-ass-kicking-every-night Slayer?"

Buffy laughed, something she'd done more in the last couple of minutes then she had in the last months. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way."

"Okay, _that_ explains how you were able to defeat Mike." Chloe announced, amazing Buffy by how candidly she was taking this. "So, you need a place to crash? Or were you going somewhere specific?"

Realizing what the blonde was getting at, Buffy blinked. "No, actually, I've been cruising without destination." She'd never thought of a place when she'd run away from Sunnydale. All she'd been thinking about was getting enough distance between her and the memory of sending Angel, her first love, her first man—_vampire_—to hell.

She paled at the memory, remembering his face when she'd thrust the sword into him and thrown him into the portal to hell.

"You look horrible." Chloe was pure bluntness. "Look, finish the soup and try get some sleep. I'll be in the living room working on the next issue of the Torch. You're welcomed to stay here as long as you need or want."

Buffy watched her as she silently made her way to the doorway. "Won't your parents mind?" She asked right before the other girl disappeared.

"My mom's not around." Chloe replied, back to her, hand on the doorframe. "And with Lex leaving for an extended trip to Europe dad's been busy working in Metropolis. He's never around much anymore, so the company will do me good."

"Especially with the trouble you seem to get into."

Her shoulders trembled and at first Buffy was frightened that she'd made the pretty girl cry, but then she realized that she was laughing.

"And you don't even know me that good yet." Turning her head slightly, Chloe winked and left.

Buffy watched her leave, a small smile on her face.

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Chloe had gone to check on Buffy twice after leaving her eating, and both times the older girl had been sleeping on her bed. Chloe didn't understand why she felt connected to Buffy, they didn't know each other and had been thrown together in unusual circumstances, but then again—in both of their lives—unusual was quite usual.

Maybe it was the fact that she felt within Buffy the same sadness she'd felt within Clark before he'd disappeared when his mother lost the baby. Maybe it was the fact that both she and Chloe seemed alone in the world and in need of someone to help anchor them. She didn't know…all she knew was she had a good feeling about the Slayer in her house.

So here she was, in the middle of the night, throwing a shovel in the back of her beetle and already planning on the best place to bury the body.

It worried her sometimes on how candid she thought of this, but after helping Lex do away with Helen's body she felt that it would be hypocrisy to suddenly get a conscience now. Lex had given her the choice to go away immediately and leave everything to him, but she hadn't wanted to leave him alone, broken-hearted, on his wedding day, so she'd stayed with him, helped him, and then hugged him as he finally broke down and cried against her.

"You weren't planning on leaving without me, were you?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Turning, Chloe made a face at Buffy as she leaned against the doorframe, looking tons better now that she had food in her and a good sleep. "I thought you were sleeping, and weak."

"Slayer healing." Buffy waved that off as she pushed away from the doorway and went to sit in the passenger's seat of Chloe's car as Chloe got into the driver's. "So, you have any idea what to do with wolfie boy?"

"Well, if he were a regular werewolf I'd say shove my mom's stainless silver knife up his ass, stab a fork through his heart, sever his head from his body, and burn his remains." Chloe replied as she put the Beetle in reverse and reversed out the driveway, putting the car in gear and heading towards McMan's. "But considering the fact that Mike was a Meteor Freak, I think that's a little inhuman. So we'll just sever his head from his body, tear out his heart, and burn the remains while burying his heart somewhere far from his body. Just in case."

The dark-haired girl looked at her for a second. "How do you know all about that? Those are standard procedure for werewolf killing." She blinked. "Are you a watcher in training?"

"Watcher?" Chloe asked, stealing a glance in her direction curiously. "You mean like the Slayer's living information resource?"

"Yeah."

"No." She laughed, then paused. "Did _you_ have a watcher?"

"Yeah." Buffy's smile had disappeared.

Realizing that she'd touched a sore topic, Chloe didn't pry, and they continued the rest of the trip in silence.

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Once back at home, Chloe watched as Buffy said goodnight and went up the stairs to the guestroom, which she'd be using. The younger girl smiled as the Slayer closed the door. They'd done away with Mike's remains, and Chloe couldn't help but remember Buffy asking her if she was a Watcher in training. That was interesting. She'd have to look that up and see if she could qualify.

Seeing the red light on her answering machine blinking furiously, she pressed the play button and threw herself on the sofa, listening to the messages left while Buffy and her had been doing away with Mike's body.

_ "Hey baby."_ Gabe Sullivan's voice could be heard. "_Must have caught you putting The Torch 'to sleep', as you like to call it. Just called to let you know that I met Bruce Wayne today, and I'll probably be heading to Gotham for some meetings. I let him know about you being a reporter, and who knows, maybe I can wrangle out an interview with you and the Torch? Well, love you—call me tomorrow at a decent hour?"_

Giddy at the _thought_ of getting an interview with Bruce Wayne—even if only via telephone, Chloe grinned like an idiot.

_ "Chloe."_ The voice on the next message was reproachful. "_You're not home. You're always home at this time_." His accusation was thick. "_You know I always call at this time_."

Chloe frowned as the message clicked off. Ever since Lex and her had played Where-To-Hide-The-Body and he'd taken off to Europe, he'd called her every evening at eight, and they'd formed a strange yet comforting friendship. He acted like he was her older brother. And true to what he'd said, this evening was the first time she'd missed his phone call.

_ "Where are you?"_ Lex's voice was irritation tinged with worry in the next message. "_It's not like you not to be home. Maybe you're at The Torch's office. I'll call there._"

The blonde smirked. The bald billionaire was beginning to sound like a father whose daughter had stayed out past curfew on her first date.

"_There was no answer at The Torch's office either so you're not there—and you're not answering here either_." By now, Lex's voice was pure worry. "_Dammit Chloe, you should have let me buy you that cellular!"_

She threw her head back and laughed. Yep. He was _definitely_ acting like some over-protective father.

"_Chloe, dammit, where the hell are you?" _There was background sounds—was he pouring himself something to drink? Knowing Lex it was either scotch or whisky…vodka if he was really out of it. "_I've called your house a million times, The Torch a dozen times, I even called that insipid Lang girl that Clark was always so fond of. She wasn't there, but her aunt said she was out—sounded quite pleased that I was calling her niece. No doubt she thinks I'm like all the Smallville boys and find the girl damn irresistible. I don't see what--."_ But the answering machine cut his rant off.

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip to try and stop her laughter as the last message started.

"_Dammit, if you're not going to let me buy you a cellular you should at least invest in a decent answering machine! It cut me off!"_ By now the irritation was back full-force. "_Listen to me good Chloe Sullivan; if you don't answer the next time I call I'm calling the sheriff, FBI, CIA, and INTERPOL!"_

And he wasn't bluffing.

Right on schedule, the phone rang, and Chloe reached over, pulling the receiver from the hook and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Where have you been?" A voice demanded dangerously.

"Nice to hear from you too Lex, how is Europe this time of the year?" She asked, looking up at the ceiling, fingering her hair playfully.

"Where the hell have you _been_?" He growled, sounding like an animal ready to strike.

"Saw your picture on the Daily Planet by the way." She refused to answer him—he wasn't her father! "That donation you gave to the Red Cross was quite generous. I was thinking about your question about how to get your reputation and image changed in the eyes of the people. I decided that you should sponsor a couple dozen children—you have more than enough money. That way you'd be helping starving children _and_ your image in the eyes of the press. You can't go wrong."

"_Dammit Chloe!_" Lex snarled viciously. "Where the _hell_ have you _been_?"

"Out." She replied as vaguely as possible just to spite him.

"Chloe, how many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't be out by yourself--?"

"I wasn't by myself."

There was a pause. "You were out with Lana?"

"No." She frowned. "Unlike most of Smallville, my life and what I do _does NOT_ revolve around her!"

He chuckled. "So you were with Pete."

"No." By now she knew that he was expecting her to tell him, but she was a free, independent spirit, and didn't understand _why_ Lex had suddenly become so suffocatingly protective of her. Sure, she'd told him the truth about Helen Bryce, watched bride and groom hold guns to each other—watched him dodge a bullet and Dr. Bryce catch it in her heart—_and_ kept quiet after helping him get rid of the body----but that didn't give him any right over her or give him any say in what she did or how she did it.

There was another pause. "Clark returned?"

"No."

"Hey Chloe?" Buffy's voice was distorted from upstairs. "Where's the soap?"

"You in the shower?" She called, hearing the water going in the background.

"Yeah, as should you. You smell as bad as I do."

She smirked. "Get back in the shower—I'm finishing this phone call and I'll bring you a bar of soap."

"Thanks!"

Lex spoke, his voice deadly calm. "Who was that and what is this person doing in your house at this time of the night?"

"Taking a shower." By now she was getting more than a little pissed with Lex. "And in need of a bar of soap. Things got a little dirty and we need to wash off."

"So I presume you were with this _mystery person_ tonight?"

"Yes, you may_ presume_ all you want. It's a free country." Snarking, she giggled.

There was a sigh on the other end. "Just be careful Chloe. You know that people in Smallville are never what they seem---especially if they're into you."

She glared at the telephone. "I'll have you know that I've been with guys who WEREN'T meteor freaks!"

He chuckled. "Clark doesn't count. And anyway, he wasn't a normal joe either."

She frowned yet conceded. "I guess you're right."

With the strange Luthor-tenderness he'd begun showing her after their strange friendship began, Lex sighed and said: "Just take care of yourself, Chloe. You're more important to me than anyone I've ever known----I---I've come to think of you as the sister I've never had." He paused, then snickered. "The troublesome, headache-inducing, rebellious teenaged sister I've never had."

"I wove you too, big bwother Wex." She chuckled in a baby voice, shaking her head at him. "Anyway, I _really_ need to bathe so---."

"NEVER MIND!" Buffy's voice could be heard calling out. "I FOUND THE SOAP!"

"Okay!" Chloe called back.

"That sounded a lot like a girl." Lex commented.

" It was a girl." The blonde rolled her eyes. "I have a housemate."

"Didn't know you were one of _those_." Lex teased.

"Oh _stuff it_ Luthor." She giggled.

"Before you go," Lex interrupted.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I'm returning to Smallville."

She was silent, before smiling. "Good. I knew you wouldn't let Bryce's betrayal run you away. A Luthor never backs down."

"_God_, you sound like my father." Yet he sounded amused.

"Ick factor right there." She giggled. "Well, goodnight mister Luthor. See you soon."

"Night Miss Sullivan." He chuckled throatily before adding. "And Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"_Try_ to stay out of trouble until I get there?"

Glancing a look upstairs, where the Slayer had just came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and waved down at her before hurrying to the bedroom, Chloe thought of the trouble they'd _already _managed to get themselves into and paused for a second before honestly answering: "I don't know if I can promise you anything."

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** Review?**


	2. Chapter 2: Interviews and Vampires

** Disclaimer: I don't own anything Smallville, Batman (definitely don't own Christian Bale …cries eyes out…), Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**

IMPORTANT: This is _**NOT**_ a Chloe x Buffy romance, sorry to those who might have wanted that. 

This chapter explains why Buffy is so protective of Chloe in "From Hell".

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"Hey guys." Chloe called as they entered the Beanery. The last couple of weeks had been busy ones. Chloe'd used her computer skills to have Buffy 'transferred' to Smallville High and they were pretending to be cousins from her mother's side of the family.

On top of that, and going to Luthor Manor to check up on things for Lex, who was readying to return, there'd been some more weird occurrences happening in Smallville that Chloe and Buffy both believed had Wall of Weird potential. So the girls were busy investigating to see if they could figure out _why_ people were showing up as dried up skeletons all around town.

"Chloe!" Lana smiled brightly from where she sat drinking coffee with Pete and waved them over. Ever since Clark had disappeared the three of them had become surprisingly close friends, Clark's leaving having made it much easier for the girls to see each other as friends and not competitors. Still, Chloe was more withdrawn from Lana than she usually was with her friends.

So many people wanted to be with Lana, or _be_ Lana, and while Chloe liked the other girl, she definitely wouldn't _ever_ want to be her.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Kansas Sunshine." Buffy mumbled under her breath.

"Behave." Chloe didn't know _why_, but Buffy didn't take to Lana at all, and Lana was subtly giving off hints that she didn't like the other brunette that much either.

"Chlo! Buff!" Pete smiled at them as they sat down on either side of him. "I've got to be the envy of all the guys in Smallville." He commented charmingly. "Imagine little ol' me surrounded by the three prettiest girls in all Kansas."

"Only Kansas? I should hurt you." Yet Buffy was grinning.

Chloe shook her head. "So, what were you two talking about when we got here?"

"Oh, Pete was telling me about an email he got from his cousin in L.A." Lana replied, sipping on her Cappuccino with a smile, ignoring Buffy, who was returning the favor happily. "According to Pete's cousin, he's a modern-day Robin-hood/Blade mix out to save the world from 'nasties'."

Buffy frowned, turning to Pete. "What's she talking about?"

"She's talking about a cousin of mine, Charles." Pete replied, finishing his drink and turning to the beautiful brunette. "He's come to visit once or twice---you remember him Chloe? He hit on you a couple of times and you never realized it?"

"_Who_?" The blonde asked, intrigued.

"_Remember?_" Pete stressed. "He's the guy Clark 'accidentally' sucker punched in the stomach for landing on you in the haystack?"

"_Gunn_?!?" Chloe shrieked, blushing. "He was _hitting_ on me? _Really_?" She pouted. "I never realized it!"

Pete didn't look too thrilled at Chloe's disappointed expression but shook his head and returned his attention to Buffy. "Well, lately he's been saying some weird stuff, and in his last email he told me that vampires really exist and that he and his friends battle them out in the hood where he lives."

Buffy and Chloe exchanged looks.

Lana frowned. "You know, I laughed when I heard about it at first, but now that I think about it, it's not really that strange."

Pete turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Pete, how many weird stuff have happened here in Smallville?" Lana wanted to know, serious. "Who's to say that Vampires _aren't_ real?"

Pete snorted. "Lana, vampires are _folklore_. Get _real_."

She looked insulted but her voice was normal. "And what exactly is _real_ Pete? A coach who can control fire? A guy who turns into an insect, can spin webs, and eats his own mother?" She shivered at the memory. "Or how about--?"

"Okay, okay, I get it." He looked resentful to have to admit to defeat, but he did it anyway. "You're right, those _are real_, but, I mean, come _on_ Lana, you're talking about _vampires_." He threw his hands up in the air. "You know, _I-Wanna-Suck-Your-Blood_, Transylvania origins, Count Chocula wannabes."

Lana pouted at him. "They _could_ exist!"

"Okay children, quiet down or you're both going to your separate corners to have a nap." Buffy commanded in a bored tone.

Pete turned and smirked at her. "I'll have the nap if you tuck me in."

Buffy blinked in surprise (as did Chloe and Lana), and then she blushed, although she was grinning broadly. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Ross."

"Into biting are we?" He teased, raising an eyebrow at her. "_Kinky_."

"You _pervert_!" Buffy laughed, slapping him on the back of his head, both convulsing in shy yet genuine laughter.

Both were blushing.

"Now that we're off the topic of vampires and perverts," Chloe drawled, raising an eyebrow at them, barely able to keep the teasing expression off of her face, she straightened. "Guess who has an interview this evening with _the_ handsomest single billionaire of the moment?"

Lana tilted her head to the side. "Lex is back already?"

"Not _baldie_." Buffy retorted. She'd seen some of his pictures, and had gotten to calling Lex by a name Chloe knew he'd resent greatly. But no matter _how_ many times she tried to tell that to Buffy, the brunette wouldn't change her pet name for the bald billionaire.

"How many billionaires do you know other than Luthor?" Pete wanted to know, genuinely interested.

"At least one more." She giggled, nearly bouncing on the table. "Well? Take a guess!"

"Oliver Queen?" Lana asked, remembering the guy on the front of one of her magazines featuring the richest bachelors in the country.

"Nope." The blonde shook her head. "Guess again."

"Although, I think _Queen's a lot_ handsomer than---."

"Buffy!" Chloe caught her before she could blurt out the name.

"Sorry oh possessed one." Buffy rolled her eyes at her friend. "Bounce away."

" I am _not_ bouncing." Chloe denied while bouncing.

"_Yes_ you _are_!" Pete chuckled merrily, pointing childishly at her. "You look like the energizer bunny on crack!"

"Well _excuse me_, but it's not every day that a girl from a small town high school newspaper gets an interview with _the _Bruce Wayne!" Chloe gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide. "I let it slip!"

Lana's eyes widened. "_Bruce WAYNE_?" She narrowed her eyes at Buffy. "_How_ is Oliver Queen supposedly handsomer than _him_?"

"We have a difference in taste." Buffy replied off-handedly. "You see, _mine's_ actually _good_."

"_Buffy_." Chloe warned. What was this? Battle of the brunettes? _There can be only one, Highlander._

Lana glared at Buffy.

Pete shook his head. "I don't know about you two, but I'm handsomer than _both_ those dudes." He achieved his goal—both girls stopped glaring at each other to giggle at him.

"Congratulations on the interview Chlo." Lana smiled genuinely, ignoring Buffy's rolling of the eyes. "I can't believe you actually got an interview with him! Need an extra hand?"

"She's got it." Buffy retaliated. "I'm her personal photographer, remember? So you have no excuse to see Richie McRich."

"_Please_ don't call him that during the interview!" Chloe whined.

Buffy chuckled. "Don't worry Chlo, I won't do anything to hinder your steps up the reporter ladder." She then snickered. "Shouldn't we be getting home so you can do your whole beauty routine?" She leaned over towards Pete. "She bought a new suit, six extra sharp pencils incase they ALL break while she's taking notes, musk body spray, and make up just for this interview. I think baldie should be worried."

"What does _Luthor_ have to do with any of this?" Pete frowned.

"_Nothing_." Chloe glared at Buffy, who was sending her an innocent expression. The other girl wouldn't stop teasing Chloe about her nightly conversations with Lex, and Chloe was _this_ close to telling Buffy that Lex would never give anyone other than a brunette a second glance—so if anyone of them had a chance with the handsome, mature, and utterly over-protective billionaire, it would be Buffy.

She was about to open her mouth and deny anything Buffy said about Lex, when the cellular that'd been sent to her via Fed Ex the day after Buffy and her met each other with a note that said '_Use it, no arguments'_, began to ring.

Buffy reached over and grabbed the phone right out of Chloe's hands, grin growing large when she saw the caller ID. "_Nothing, _huh?" Flipping open the lid, she put it to her ear. "Baldie, red alert, red alert, the little blonde reporter is two-timing you with Richie McRich."

Chloe covered her face in mortification.

Lana and Pete shared a look.

Buffy chuckled. "Don't deny it baldie, the news breaks your cold heart." There was a pause as she listened to his droll response. "No, actually, I'm serious." She frowned. "Yeah. I know you two aren't an item." Covering the mouth-piece she mouthed "he's no fun" before returning to her conversation with Lex. "Well, I've heard Bruce Wayne's a _great_ lover."

She must have gotten _some_ reaction when she mentioned Wayne's name, because her expression returned to mischievous in seconds. "Oh he _is_, is he?" She was openly snickering. "She _should_, should she?" Her expression went completely comical as she placed a hand to her heart. "Now _why_ would I be mocking you?"

Laughing, she closed the lid before passing the cellular back to its rightful owner. "Right before he so snobbily hung up on me, he told me to tell you _never_ to let me answer your cellular again."

"Why must you _harass_ him so?" Chloe lamented, putting the cellular back in her pocket. "What if what he was calling to tell me was important?"

"He'd call back." Buffy assured her. "Come on then, let's go get you ready for your date with Richie McRich."

Rolling her eyes at Buffy, Chloe got up. "See you two around."

"Bye!" Pete and Lana waved as the girls left the Beanery.

Buffy swung her arm around the girl she was beginning to care for like the sister she'd never had. The girl she loved to tease, whom she felt with such an urgency that she needed to protect, and with whom she felt at home. "If you ever get an interview with Oliver Queen, you'll hook us up, right?"

Chloe smiled up at the first girl friend she'd ever truly had. Despite the fact that they truthfully hadn't known each other for long, she felt as if she knew more about Buffy than she ever had about Clark.

The thought of Clark made her frown.

Buffy noticed her change in mood and instantly grew worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chloe forced a smile. "Just thought about Clark for a second."

Buffy frowned as they continued walking to Chloe's beetle. She'd heard about Clark, and while she felt some sort of affinity for him—she could appreciate running away from troubles to try and start one's life over with a clean sheet—she couldn't help but feel slightly resentful of him.

He was Chloe's best friend.

Buffy wanted to be Chloe's best friend.

"How about you drive while I go over my interview questions?" Chloe asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Buffy gave her a large smile. "Sure."

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What was it with Chloe and somewhat older billionaires?

Buffy sat back in the seat, having taken some pictures of Chloe and Bruce Wayne before the interview had started. She felt in awe, Chloe was really intelligent, sweet, incredibly witty, and she really deserved a nice guy.

The brunette didn't know what it was about Chloe that attracted her so much, that made her feel like she _had_ to be with her, but the Slayer liked it. She guessed that this was what twins felt. Sure, she'd loved her mother, but with Chloe she actually felt like she was a part of a family, a _real_ family—which was really odd because it was only the blonde and herself.

But the fact that she lived with someone who'd let her cry on her shoulder too many nights to count, had listened to her story of her guilt for having done that to Angel with the doubt that maybe he _had_ regained his soul at the last minute—and Chloe hadn't judged, it made a bond stronger than carnal passion could ever be to form between them. Chloe was the truest friend Buffy had ever had, and while the brunette missed Willow and the others, she knew she couldn't go back.

She loved the blonde. She wasn't _in love_ with her, but she genuinely, purely loved her. With her sweetness, genuine concern, and amazing loyalty, Chloe had wedged herself deeply into Buffy's heart, and Buffy was a person who, when she loved, she loved with all she had.

Her home was here with Chloe, in Smallville.

Now, if only she could hook up the blonde with some nice guy and find one for herself.

"Thank you." The blonde blushed as the charming Bruce Wayne complimented her once more.

_ How many times has that been? Four times in the last half hour_?

Buffy wondered if Baldie and Chloe were really only friends. She knew that Chloe _thought_ they were only just friends, but maybe Baldie had ulterior motives. She thought he did. No guy called a pretty girl _every evening_ faithfully and spoke to her for _hours_ just because he had 'brotherly' feelings towards her.

Then again, if she was wrong, Richie McRich was handsome and obviously into Chloe despite the fact that she was younger and still in high school.

Just as they were getting into the topic that Chloe had been most interested in asking—the recent crime spree in Gotham—the lights flickered out in Bruce Wayne's Hotel Room in Metropolis. Since it was night (the girls would be spending the night in the same hotel courtesy of Bruce Wayne himself), everything went pitch black, and it took Buffy a while for her eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness.

Buffy's 'spidey senses' started to kick in and she jumped to her feet. Something wasn't right.

Chloe must have noticed her unease, because she stopped the interview right away, running off her voice recorder and standing as well. "What is it Buff? Do you sense anything?"

Good thing Bruce Wayne was looking around him suspiciously as well and hadn't heard that or he might have questioned _why_ Chloe would ask her photographer that.

The door flew open, and a group of men entered the room, locking the door behind them.

The closest once stopped and sniffed, hissing. "The room reeks of _Slayer_." He looked at the three of them. "There's a Slayer in here!"

The others hissed, faces changing to their true demonic images immediately.

Buffy made up her nose. "_Vampires_."

Chloe gave a cry of fear.

Buffy was relieved when Bruce pushed Chloe behind him protectively, shielding her from the vampires' gaze.

"What do you want?" Amazingly, Bruce's voice wasn't shaking. How could he, a normal human, seem so calm in the face of these monsters?

"We're here for _her_." The master pointed behind him at a whimpering Chloe.

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want Chloe?"

"We's dun want 'er." One of the vampires in the back spat out. "_He_ wants 'er."

"Well _he_ can't have _'er_." Buffy snapped, mocking his accent. The lights came back on, and taking advantage of the surprise and confusion, she reached twirled around, fumbled in Chloe's bag and pulled out her sharpened pencils, throwing one to Chloe and another to Bruce, who looked at her as if she were insane.

With her on pencil in hand, Buffy turned in time to see the fist coming her way and ducked. The fight broke out and she tried taking as many on as possible, but they were eight vamps, none new fledglings, and she could only take on so many. The good thing was that after the first one she staked with the pencil, Bruce realized that the pencils actually _killed_ the vampires, and started using the one in his hand and stopped _punching_ them.

Kicking at a vampire lunging at her, the Slayer turned and stabbed the pencil deep inside the un-beating heart of the vampire next to her, and pulled it out, stabbing yet another that'd come from behind her.

The sounds of explosions behind her proved that the vampires that'd gotten past her were getting taken care of by Bruce.

Hearing a scream, Buffy turned in time to watch in horror as Chloe tried to get away from a vampire that hadn't entered with the original eight, and now had her fangs deep into the skin of Chloe's neck.

"Chloe!" Buffy screamed the same time Bruce did, both trying to fight the two vampires each had attacking them, and save the blonde who was pounding against the female vampire in vain.

"Get _off_!" Chloe brought her knee up at the mouth of the vampire's stomach, causing her to cry out and pull her fangs free. The blonde fell to the ground and reached for something out of Buffy's frantic view before the vampire threw herself at Chloe once more, straddling her on the floor.

"Leave her alone or I swear I'll make you sorry you ever looked at her!" Bruce hissed, dusting another vampire, now left with only one vampire, unlike Buffy, who was still fighting two vampires.

She was too distracted to really fight with all she had.

"Give in to me child. Feel and accept it." The female chuckled before latching her fangs into Chloe's neck, sucking her blood leisurely.

"Sorry," Chloe's voice was hoarse. "But _you're not my type_!" Swinging her hand, she stabbed the pencil through the vampire's neck.

With a screech, the female vampire exploded into dust the same time Bruce's last vampire was staked as well.

The vampires fighting Buffy, realizing that the fight was lost, pushed her away and ran for the exit, disappearing down the hall.

Buffy didn't care, she ran towards where Bruce was already kneeling next to Chloe. "_Chloe!" _Falling to her knees, she pulled her friend into her lap, tears falling down her cheek as she turned to Bruce. "Get an ambulance right away! She's lost a lot of blood!"

Bruce nodded and hurried to his telephone.

Cradling Chloe close, Buffy's body wracked with sobs. "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! I should have been able to protect you!"

"And keep me from being able to boast about slaying a vampire?" Chloe chuckled, although her voice was weak and laced with pain. "Don't even think it."

"I'm not going to let you get hurt again Chlo." Buffy promised solemnly. "I'm going to figure out _who_ sent those vampires after you, find out _why_, and I'm going to kill him. I swear to protect you, I swear it!"

"The ambulance will be here any moment now." Bruce returned, limping. He'd been beaten up pretty badly by the supernatural baddies, but had held up surprisingly enough for a human. "Wh—what _were_ those things?"

"Vampires." Buffy whispered, looking up at him. "And they were after Chloe."

"Why?" Bruce asked, sitting on the floor besides them, pencil in hand just in case.

"Lex was right." Chloe coughed, wincing at the excruciating pain in her throat. "I attract freaks."

"Shh." Bruce placed his finger on her lips. "Don't talk."

She managed to muster enough blood to blush, before closing her eyes.

"Don't even _think_ about sleeping." Buffy warned, a near hysterical sound in her voice.

"Yes mother." Chloe croaked as the sound of sirens lit the air.

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Buffy had really wanted to meet Lex Luthor, she just hadn't expected that the first time she'd speak to the admittedly handsome man face to face it'd be in a hospital, with him shouting at her. She took it silently because she knew that he was only venting his frustration and that he was more worried about Chloe and angry at himself than angry at her.

But he was _definitely_ pissed with Bruce, who was still there even after having his injuries tended to.

"I hope you know that I'm suing Wayne Hotels." Lex informed in a steely voice, he'd gotten on his private jet and came over the moment Buffy phoned him to tell him what had happened. "The attack happened in _your_ hotel, and the assailants got through _your_ security."

"Listen Luthor." Bruce growled back. "I'm taking all the responsibility for the attack, but can you stop talking business at a time like this? Chloe's still in the critical ward!"

"Don't talk to me as if you _care_ about Chloe." Lex sneered at Bruce, letting Buffy see that there was a _very_ dark side to the man Chloe seemed to trust with her life. "You don't _know_ Chloe."

"But I'd like to." The heir of Wayne Industries countered.

"You think I'd let you be in the same _town_ with her after what you let happen?" Lex finally exploded.

"You're not her father Lex." Bruce sneered, obviously just trying to irk Luthor more than anything else. "You can't tell me to stay away from her."

"I'm her guardian." Lex countered after a moment's silence. "Her father is a good friend of mine, and Chloe—so is Chloe."

Bruce frowned for a moment before shaking his head. He turned to Buffy. "Tell Chloe that I'm sorry, and that I'll gladly finish the interview when she's better---if she wants to."

Lex snorted.

"I'm sure she'll want to do that." Buffy answered with an innocent smile, deciding to try out a theory of hers. "She was really excited to get to interview you. She bought a new suit and make up and everything."

Luthor growled in annoyance behind her.

Bruce managed a smile despite the pain in his body before turning to Lex. "Chloe doesn't need you taking care of her Luthor. She has this Amazon here for that, and you should have seen her take out that _creature_ all by herself."

Lex was silent. He obviously was finding it hard to believe that _vampires_ existed.

Nodding to Buffy, Bruce left the hospital.

The moment Bruce was gone, Lex collapsed into the hospital seat. "You two shouldn't have been in Metropolis at night."

"They would have found us in Smallville anyway, and at least this way we had Bruce to help us fight them off." Buffy went to sit next to him. "They were after Chloe. They'd been sent for her. I don't know why so don't ask, but someone is after her, and it's only thanks to Bruce that he didn't get her."

Lex ran his hands over his scalp. "I can't believe that _vampires_ attacked Chloe."

"You can get a good look at her bite mark if you want convincing. It'll fade slightly with time, but she'll always have it." Buffy winced at the thought of seeing Chloe's skin forever marred by the scar that only taunted the Slayer, screamed condemningly to everyone that she hadn't been able to protect her best friend.

Lex was quiet, leaning forwards in the seat, deep in thought.

Buffy leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling.

Neither spoke until the doctor found them to tell them of how Chloe was doing.

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"This is ridiculous!" Chloe, now home, was once again arguing with her ridiculously paranoid and protective self-proclaimed guardians. She'd grown up without a mother and with a father who respected her freedom and independence, so their mothering was getting on her last nerve.

"You should be in bed." Buffy was saying. "You only got out of the hospital yesterday."

She planted her hands on her hips. "Buffy, I got bitten on my _neck, NOTHING_ is wrong with my _feet_."

Lex snorted. "What about your head?"

She turned on him. "_What_ about my head?"

He chuckled at her flushed, angry face. "Chloe, we're just trying to help you."

"No, you're ganging up on me, _that's_ what you two are doing!" She huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

A small smile lit her face as she once more caught sight of one of the many flowers Bruce Wayne had sent to the house. He'd come to visit her before he had to return to Gotham for business, and she missed him because he'd sided with her and helped her convince Buffy that she should be given back her computer so she didn't die of boredom while in bed.

She'd also gotten to finish that interview with him.

"What are you doing out of bed Chloe Sullivan?" A voice asked as the door opened and Pete Ross and Lana Lang entered the house. They'd been told the truth behind Chloe's attack (the rest of the world believed it was some satanic cult kidnapping gone wrong) and Lana had stuck out her tongue at Pete and told him that she'd been right, that vampires _did_ exist. Chloe, Buffy, and Lex (who'd somehow gotten the whole truth out of Buffy--including her being a Slayer) had decided that Pete and Lana didn't need to know about Buffy's true calling as yet though.

"Pete! Not you _too_!" Chloe whined. Was _everyone_ against her?

Lana hugged Chloe tightly and then passed her the cup of coffee she'd brought her. "Thought you'd want some coffee."

"Lana, you're an angel!" Chloe took off the cover of the Styrofoam cup and began gulping down the warm beverage greedily before Lex or Buffy could object.

"Hey! Hey! You're not supposed to--! Argh!" Buffy threw her hands up in the air. "I give up!"

"I don't." Lex replied before taking the now half-empty cup from Chloe.

"_Le-ex_!" She tried snatching it back.

"You remember what the doctor said?" He asked in that patronizing tone of his.

"Why should I when you seem to be able to quote him like a book?" She once again tried snatching the cup of coffee from him, but he held it above her reach, wagging a finger at her.

"Wag that finger in my face while depriving me of my coffee and I'll bite it off." She warned with a growl, folding her arms crankily over her chest.

Lex grinned broadly.

" PMS-y are we?" Pete snickered before going to stand by Buffy. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Other than wanting to choke the blonde? Fine." Buffy sighed with a tired smile as Lex and Chloe started arguing once more. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine." He replied cheerily, noticing Lana frantically trying to make the peace between Lex and Chloe and failing terribly. "She just doesn't get that those two _like_ to fight, huh?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. _There's a lot she doesn't get_. But she knew that Chloe wouldn't like her saying that since for some reason she liked Lana, so instead she returned her attention to Pete Ross. "You want to come with me to the kitchen and get some sandwiches?"

He turned to look at her with a smile. "Only if you say you have PB&J."

She laughed and grabbed his sleeve, tugging him behind her towards the kitchen.

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** I just wanted to write this chapter so people would get that Buffy really loves Chloe, and why she's so protective of her in "From Hell", but once again, she isn't IN LOVE with Chloe. Not that the pairing doesn't intrigue me…but just not for this story at least.**

** Review?**


	3. Chapter 3: Encounters of the Third Kind

** Disclaimer: I do not own. I don't. I don't.**

Thanks to my reviewers: Kit Merlot, Jeremy Shane, MysticWolf1, skauble, Weefeesmum, and Kyuubi-Titan.

This is for those who wanted to see Clark. Sorry, no Clark (or Kal, if one is to get technical) x vampire fighting scene…but he DOES make them nearly pee their leather pants…

This is a Clark (Kal) x Chloe centric chapter.

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* * *

Despite the fact that Lex had argued and disputed his reasons _why_ this was a _very_ bad idea, the bald billionaire realized that he was being delusional if he thought his disapproval of the whole plan was going to keep them from doing it—so to be able to keep a close eye on them he'd reluctantly agreed to coming with them and helping them get into the club they so wanted to visit in Metropolis.

Chloe felt a little bad for having forced him to come, especially since clubs held bad memories for him, but she was enjoying herself a little too much to let his attitude dampen hers. Dressed in black leather pants and black silk shirt with a duster over her shirt, she'd dyed the tips of her blonde hair black just for the occasion, and she'd been dancing most of the night with Lex and Pete, but her high heels were killing her, so she returned to the table to get something to drink.

Leaning back on her chair, she looked out on the dance floor and giggled at Lana, who looked pretty in pink, dancing with a bored looking Lex, who kept sending quick glances towards the table to make sure Chloe was still there safe and sound. The blonde rolled her eyes at his over-protectiveness when it came to her.

On the other side of the room, Buffy and Pete danced together, laughing nervously at whatever they were talking about, and blushing like hell the whole while. Buffy wore a short black skirt and tall knee-high boots with a tube top, and Pete wore dark jeans and a silk shirt he swore he hadn't bought but found in his closet anyhow.

The brunette girl and dark boy were commandeering most of the attention on that side of the dance floor, as they grinded up against each other, dancing amazingly well considering that both had denied having any dancing abilities.

Chloe continued to watch, shaking her head and giggling at Lex's attempts to leave the dance floor and come towards her and the table—only to have Lana just kept grabbing him back. He'd ended up giving up and continuing to dance.

The guy _really_ needed to start relaxing.

It'd been a couple of weeks since the attack at Wayne Hotels, and while they'd had their hands busy with the meteor freaks that were rampant, they hadn't had any _otherworldly_ visits, and Chloe had pushed it to the back of her mind—even if Buffy and Lex hadn't and still stiffened every time they saw a shadow move whenever they were out at night.

Feeling that feeling once more, Chloe frowned and looked around her. She'd felt eyes on her the whole night, and now the feeling only grew.

Green eyes narrowed as she searched the crowd yet everyone was enjoying themselves and no one was even looking in her _direction_, so she shook it off as her friends' paranoia rubbing off on her.

Shaking her head, she got up and went back to the dance floor, closing her eyes and getting lost in the body of dancers. Throwing her hands up in the air, eyes still closed, she rocked her body to and fro to the rhythm of the music and enjoyed herself, deciding that she deserved a night of fun after the weeks of fighting meteor freaks.

It'd been easier with Clark because he had that innate way of always _knowing_ where something was, and she missed her friend _so much_, especially since he'd always been the first to go off with her to investigate the 'freak of the week', as Buffy had adequately termed them.

But Buffy was just as supportive—if not _way_ more open—than Clark was, and Chloe was growing _really_ close to her brunette protector.

Still, she missed Clark.

She missed Clark _terribly_.

Feeling warmth behind her before a pair of hands clamped down on her hips, pulling her back against the male body, Chloe was a little shocked yet continued dancing. She knew that whoever was behind her wasn't Pete or Lex, because while Pete could be a flirt, she had a feeling he was developing a crush on Buffy and wouldn't want to ruin any chances he had with the brunette—and Lex wasn't forward like this.

…Especially not with _that_ pressing up against her ass as they continued to dance.

So she had a stranger holding her intimately—handling her as if he had every right to touch her like this.

She should be pissed, but decided not to care. Tonight was her night off, she was finally having the fun she'd wanted ever since she'd gotten out of the hospital, and she wasn't about to let teenaged insecurities ruin it.

Tons of women in this night club were in the same predicament and none seemed to care.

So she threw her cares to the air and continued to dance, grinding back against the steely male behind her. They continued to dance together dance after dance, and since her eyes were closed she didn't realize that he'd danced them into a corner where her friends couldn't see them.

She felt his lips against the pulse of her neck before he whispered: "You look beautiful tonight, Chlo."

The blonde froze as she recognized that voice, and the heat disappeared from behind him. "_Clark_?!?" Twirling around, she couldn't find him, her dance partner had disappeared into the throng of people, but she kept searching, looking around, frantic to find him.

Seeing a tall, muscular brunette walking away to the right, she pushed pass the dancing couples and further away from her friends. "Clark!" She tried calling, but her voice was drowned out by the blaring music.

Finally making it through the dancers in time to see a door to the backstage closing, Chloe hurried towards it and jerked it open, not even hesitating before entering the poorly lit backstage and letting the door swing shut behind her, blocking out most of the music.

"Clark?" She called, craning her neck in both directions, eyes narrowed, trying to find out where in the world he'd gone to.

Hearing footsteps to the right, she jerked in that direction. "Clark? Is that you?" Frown darkening, she started walking in that direction, wishing she could see better in the darkness when she nearly tripped over something on the ground. "_Clark_? I know you're here."

The footsteps stopped.

"Show yourself." She continued walking slowly, carefully, in the dimly lit room. "You wouldn't have let me know you were here if you didn't want to see me, talk to me." She cleared her throat nervously. "So why don't you just come and talk to me? I—I—Clark? _Please_?"

There was no answer.

"_Clark, please_." Tears were threatening to fall and her voice was choked. "I miss you."

Still nothing.

She opened her mouth to try once more when she was grabbed from behind and thrown into the wall with a sickening _thud_. The blonde didn't have time to scream when she was pulled up by the front of her shirt, her feet dangling in the ground, and she looked into smug brown eyes.

Brown eyes she'd last seen fleeing from Wayne Hotels.

"_You_!" She cried out at the redheaded vampire that smirked at her. "Let me go!"

"You were harder to catch than we'd thought, Miss Sullivan." The vampire exchanged amused sneers with his partner, who'd also escaped Wayne Hotels after Chloe had dusted the one trying to drain her. "_He_ hasn't been very happy with us for taking so long in acquiring you for him."

She tried kicking him, but only seemed to amuse him further.

"She's feisty." The dark skinned vampire chuckled. "I think he might be right about her."

"Makes you wonder though—she looks like such a tiny thing—even for a human." The one holding her replied, eyeing her thoughtfully.

"Listen, I don't know _who_ thinks he wants me or for _what_, but all I am, is a normal, teenaged reporter." She continued wriggling around desperately. "I'm no one important—nothing special at all. Guys don't even like me that much!"

"Now, Chloe, don't sell yourself short." A voice replied calmly.

The three of them turned in surprise to see the tall, muscular brunette wearing black leather and dark shades, leaning against the wall, apparently without a care in the world.

Chloe's eyes widened, a smile warming her face despite the circumstances. "_Clark_!"

He ignored her, eyes on the vampires. "I'd let go of her if I were you." There was an air of danger that surrounded him so thick that even the vampires looked nervous.

"This is none of your concern Kal." The dark vampire told him shortly, looking less intimidated than the one holding Chloe.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. Why were the vampires calling Clark _'Kal'_?

"Oh, actually it _is_." He looked at his nails as if uninterested in the whole conversation, but one could sense the danger growing. "You see, you don't touch something that is mine, be it my friends, my family, or my belongings, and get away with it."

The redhead holding Chloe gulped. He actually looked frightened. A _vampire_. Afraid. Of _Clark_. Happy-go-lucky Clark. "Listen Kal. We're on a job right now. You more than any of us understand that when on jobs---."

"Job or not, you insist on touching her and you're going up against me." He finally looked up at them, but the dark shades hid his eyes from them.

"Clark, they're not normal people." She tried to warn them. "They're--."

"Vampires." He finished for her with an amused smirk. "Yes I know. But thanks for the warning anyway."

The dark vampire growled impatiently. "Listen Kal, our boss wants this girl and if we fail him again---."

"I don't care." He cut him off. "If you want to leave this room you'll put her down easily and walk out. _Now_." His voice darkened, surprising Chloe with its violence.

"You'll regret this Kal." The redhead promised, though he quickly set Chloe down on her feet again and took a couple of steps away from her.

"Yada yada yada." He nodded in a bored fashion. "Shouldn't you be on your way?"

Hissing, the vampires gave them one last glare before hurrying away into the darkness.

Only when he was sure that they were gone, did Clark look up at her with a smirk that wasn't like him at all. Then again, this bad boy didn't remind Chloe of her beloved farm boy at all. "I see you're still getting yourself into trouble."

Chloe wanted to run up and hug him, wanted to kiss him, slap him and scream at him for just disappearing and leaving her like that—she wanted to hold him close and beg him to never leave her again---tell him how afraid she'd been that he'd been killed---but she couldn't, she just _couldn't_, and that pissed her off.

He smirked larger, watching her intently behind his shades. "You're looking good, Chloe."

Suddenly remembering what she was wearing, Chloe blushed and ducked her gaze, her black-tipped bangs falling into her face. "You're not looking half-bad yourself, considering that I was terrified that you'd gotten yourself killed."

He chuckled at the scolding tone. "Yes, well, as you can see, I can take much better care of myself than you can."

"Clark--."

"_Kal_."

She paused. "What?"

"My _name_ is _Kal_." His tone dared her to challenge him on that front.

"_Ookay_ then." She could accept that, along with his new wardrobe, for now. "_Kal_…how—why—those were _vampires_."

"And you don't seem surprised. I guess that's not the first time you've met up with them." He pushed away from the wall and watched her intently. "Have you been getting close to the supernatural Chloe? How do you feel, knowing that humans aren't the only life forms on this pathetic little planet? How does that make the avid reporter feel? Already got your headline for the Torch?" He finished that with a sneer.

"I've always felt that we mightn't be the only ones here." She frowned, wondering why he seemed to be grilling her angrily. "And, _Kal_, there are just some things that should _never_ be in newspapers."

"Why not?" He seemed surprised, stunned by her answer. "You have that bite mark on your neck as evidence enough to get a bigger investigation. Why wouldn't you publish the story? Who knows, you might get that internship at the Daily Planet you've wanted so much—maybe even a Pulitzer." He was back to his mocking. "Imagine the headline---high school teenager wins Pulitzer."

By now she was getting really pissed with Clark's new attitude, and wondered why he'd even saved her if he was so angry at her for some unknown reason. "Even if I _could_ prove without a doubt that vampires existed I wouldn't do it."

"_Sure_." He obviously didn't believe her.

"Listen, I don't care _what_ you think!" She growled at him, surprising him with her aggressiveness. "If I ever exposed the truth about vampires I'd be exposing and putting into danger someone I've learnt to care about very much, and not even a _Pulitzer_ would tempt me into betraying my friends!"

He took a couple of steps back as if he'd been hit, before clenching his fist. "Not even for a Pulitzer? Come on Chlo, that'd be your dream come true."

"_I_ value friendship, _Clark_." She spat out, hurt that he really thought she'd betray her friends for a shot in the limelight. "Too bad _you_ never truly did." Turning her back on him, she lowered her head, sadness filling her completely. "Thank you for saving me." Taking a step, she hesitated, voice choking with the tears she refused to shed in front of him. "And I really meant it when I said that I missed you."

"_Chloe_--." _That_ voice sounded more like the Clark she'd known and loved for so long.

Suddenly the door burst open and Buffy appeared, looking frantically around before seeing Chloe and racing towards her, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pulling away to look her over. "What are you _doing_ over here? I got the wiggins and I couldn't find you anywhere! We were all so worried!"

Lex, Pete and Lana appeared through the door behind her, all wearing worried expression on their faces and crowding around Chloe and Buffy.

"What happened?" Pete wanted to know, eyes narrowed.

"Did the vampires get you again?" Lana asked fearfully, looking around them in distrust.

Chloe looked behind her to find that the space Clark had been standing in was now deserted.

Lex caught her gaze and narrowed his eyes. "What is it Chlo?"

She turned to look at Lex and smiled weakly. "Lex, I just want to go home."

His eyes bored into hers in worry, as if sensing that she wasn't telling them something and not knowing whether to push the issue now or talk to her about it later. Those blue eyes went back to the space where Clark had been seconds before, as if sensing that something important had been there, and then returned back on a shivering Chloe.

"I say we get the heck out of Dodge." Buffy looked around the room, eyes narrowing. "We're not alone."

Lana gave a little whimper and grabbed hold of Pete's arm in fear, looking around with eyes wide.

Pete tried to look calm for Lana, but he was obviously worried as well, not wanting to meet any vampires any time soon. "Come on, let's go home. We'll all go to Chloe's and eat some of Buffy's burnt popcorn."

Despite the fact that her eyes were trained on something in the dark, Buffy managed a distracted smile. "Just for _that_ you're sitting on the ground while we watch the movie Chloe and I rented."

"As long as it's by your feet I won't mind." He replied with a cheesy grin.

She turned to him this time, as if sensing whatever was in the room wasn't hostile, and slapped Pete playfully. "_Behave_."

Lex was still tense, mouth a grim line, as he glared into the darkness, placing a protective arm around Chloe's trembling shoulders, a slight, tender smile replacing his grimace when she leaned her head against him, accepting his comfort and enjoying it. "Let's get out of here."

Buffy met his gaze over the blonde's head and nodded, confirming that she _too_ knew that Chloe was holding out on them, and agreeing to help him get everything out of her once they were safely back at the Sullivan's residence.

As they led her away, Chloe looked back at the darkness and saw shadows shifting, betraying a muscular, male form watching them.

_ Bye_, she mouthed before turning to look up at Lex and smile softly, leaning her head against him and sighing.

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** This story should continue somewhat in "From Hell", in which the secret about who was after Chloe should later be revealed. I wanted to add an encounter with Clark here since everyone wanted to see him, and then he'll return to Smallville later on in my other story.**

** Oh well, please review.**


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